Published · Updated by NavyBlue Editorial Team
Is NSFAS down right now?
This page shows what students are reporting right now about the myNSFAS portal, step by step: opening the website, logging in, getting your OTP, uploading documents, the face check and sending your application. If a step says Many problems now, the NSFAS website is not working for other students either, so it is not just you.
It is built from student reports, not from NSFAS. Grey means nobody has told us about that step, not that it is working.
Applying, step by step
Worst first. Grey is not “working”: it means nobody has reported that step in the last 24 hours.
Opening the website
Getting my.nsfas.org.za to load on your phone.
Logging in
Signing in with your ID number and password.
Getting your OTP
The code NSFAS sends you by SMS or email.
Uploading documents
Adding your ID, proof of income and consent form.
Face/ID check
The selfie NSFAS uses to check you are really you.
Sending the application
Pressing submit and getting it to go through.
Website shows wrong info
Your page shows the wrong name, status or documents.
Locked out
You cannot get into your account at all any more.
Consent form problems
A parent or guardian cannot sign, or NSFAS says it is missing.
Problems that go on for weeks
These take weeks, not hours. Tell us how long you have been waiting.
Stuck on verification
Your status has not moved off verification for weeks.
Happening for weeksHow long people wait
How long have you been waiting?
No answer from NSFAS
You called, emailed or messaged and nobody came back.
Happening for weeksHow long people wait
How long have you been waiting?
What to try when NSFAS is not working
These are the fixes that have worked for other students. None of them need the myNSFAS website to be up, so you can read them while you wait.
Opening the website
Getting my.nsfas.org.za to load on your phone.
- Try early morning or late at night. The website is slowest between 08:00 and 10:00 and just before a deadline.
- Turn data saver off and close other tabs. The page needs a lot of data to load the first time.
Logging in
Signing in with your ID number and password.
- Log in with your ID number, not your email address. Many students use the email by mistake.
- Clear your browser cache, or open the site in a private window. An old saved page can keep sending you back to login.
Getting your OTP
The code NSFAS sends you by SMS or email.
- Check your email too, not only SMS. NSFAS sends the code to both.
- Wait 2 minutes before you press 'send again'. Asking many times can cancel the first code.
Uploading documents
Adding your ID, proof of income and consent form.
- Make the file smaller than 2MB and save it as PDF or JPG. A big photo from your camera is usually the problem.
- Upload one document at a time and wait for it to finish before starting the next one.
Face/ID check
The selfie NSFAS uses to check you are really you.
- Stand in front of a window in daylight, with nothing on your head or face, and hold the phone still.
- If it fails three times, stop and try again in a few hours. Trying again and again can lock the check for the day.
Sending the application
Pressing submit and getting it to go through.
- Take a screenshot of the reference number the moment it appears. It is your proof that the application went through.
- Go back through every section first. Submit fails silently when one required field is still empty.
Website shows wrong info
Your page shows the wrong name, status or documents.
- Screenshot what is wrong, with the date showing, before you contact anyone. You will be asked for it.
- Log out fully and log in again on a different browser. Sometimes you are seeing an old saved page, not your real status.
Stuck on verification
Your status has not moved off verification for weeks.
- Verification can take a few weeks, especially early in the year. Keep checking once a week rather than every day.
- Check that the details on your application match your ID and your SASSA or SARS records exactly. One wrong digit holds it up.
No answer from NSFAS
You called, emailed or messaged and nobody came back.
- Try the WhatsApp line on 063 093 5671 or 0800 067 327. WhatsApp uses almost no data and often answers faster than email.
- Always ask for a reference number and write it down. Without it your next message starts from zero.
Locked out
You cannot get into your account at all any more.
- Use 'forgot password' with your ID number, then wait a full 10 minutes before you try again.
- If your old email or number no longer works, say so in your first message. That is a different fix and it needs a person.
Consent form problems
A parent or guardian cannot sign, or NSFAS says it is missing.
- Download the blank consent form, print or sign it, then upload a clear photo of every page, including the empty ones.
- If a parent has died or you cannot reach them, upload an affidavit from the police station instead. It is accepted.
Questions students ask
Is NSFAS down right now?
This page shows what students are reporting right now, step by step: opening the website, logging in, getting your OTP, uploading documents, the face check and sending your application. It is built from student reports, not from NSFAS. If a step shows Many problems now, it is not just you.
What is the problem with NSFAS today?
It depends on the step. This page splits the NSFAS application into steps and shows which ones students are struggling with right now. The step marked Many problems now is where most students are stuck today. If every step is grey, nobody has reported a problem in the last 24 hours.
Is this page from NSFAS?
No. NavyBlue is not NSFAS, and this page is not official. Everything on it comes from students who tapped 'Me too' when something broke for them. NSFAS does not publish a status page, which is the reason this one exists.
A step is grey. Does that mean it is working?
No. Grey means nobody has told us about that step in the last 24 hours. We only see problems students report, so we can never say something is working, only that nobody has said it is broken. If it is broken for you, tap Me too.
How do I report a problem?
Tap Me too next to the step that is failing. It is anonymous: no login, no name, no ID number. You can add a sentence about what happened, but you do not have to. Your tap counts either way.
Why can't I log in to my myNSFAS account?
Check the Logging in step above first. If other students are reporting it too, the myNSFAS website is not working for them either, and waiting is usually faster than trying again. If the step is grey, log in with your ID number, not your email address, then clear your browser cache or open the site in a private window. An old saved page can keep sending you back to the login screen.
My NSFAS OTP is not coming. What do I do?
Check your email as well as your SMS, because NSFAS sends the code to both. Wait a full 2 minutes before pressing 'send again', because asking repeatedly can cancel the first code. If other students are reporting the same thing on this page right now, it is not your phone.
Why is my NSFAS stuck on verification?
Verification is usually slow, not broken. It can take a few weeks, especially early in the year, so check once a week rather than every day. You will find it under Problems that go on for weeks above, where you can tell us how long you have been waiting.
Can I contact NSFAS via WhatsApp?
Yes. The NSFAS WhatsApp line is 063 093 5671. There is also the USSD code ∗120∗67327#, which works with no data and no airtime, and a toll-free line on 0800 067 327. Take the numbers off the NSFAS website yourself, because scammers post fake 'NSFAS help' numbers.
Someone says they can fix my NSFAS application for money. Is that real?
No. Applying for NSFAS is free and costs R0. Never pay anyone to apply or to 'fix' your status, and never give anyone your password or OTP, because NSFAS never asks for them. Report fraud to speakup@nsfas.org.za.
What if it is broken for everyone and I have a deadline?
Keep a screenshot with the date and the error showing. Then try the NSFAS WhatsApp line on 063 093 5671 or the toll-free line 0800 067 327, both of which cost you almost nothing. Try the portal again early in the morning or late at night, when it is least busy.
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